Looking Out for Us
by Silent Angel of Time
Summary: Sequel to Protecting Her Always. After two years away and establishing her independence Lizzie goes home to face everything she left behind, including feelings for her best friend.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One  
  
A.N: Due to popular demand, and a review from Lovin L/G who inspired me to get this written, this is the sequel to protecting her always. I realize that a lot of you wanted me to do the story while Lizzie is at school but I started it when she is finished there, I'm not 100% sure what I am going to do with this so review and leave me ideas if you want. Thanks to all of you who have waited patiently for this sequel, I'm excited about it and I hope you guys are too!  
  
"So are you ready to go home?"  
  
18-year-old Elizabeth McGuire falls silent at her friends question, she was lying in her friend's bed because she was leaving the next morning and had given her bed to a newly admitted 16-year-old pregnant girl. She had been at Bright Academy for two years now and for the first time in two years she was going home. Lizzie listens to the quiet breathing of the four children sleeping in the room before she quietly answers, "I don't think so. You're so lucky they are letting you stay on here for the rest of the summer, Ally."  
  
"I don't have anywhere else to go before college starts Lizzie, you're lucky you have somewhere to go."  
  
Lizzie sighs, "I know, I'm sorry Ally, but don't forget you promised that you would come visit me over the summer."  
  
"Of course," Alyson Jones' voice holds a southern drawl that she hadn't lost in four years at Bright Academy. "Let me know and Max and I will come visit you."  
  
Max was Alyson's four year old son, "Michael's going to miss Max, without Max around he's out numbered."  
  
"Max will miss Michael too. When do you leave in the morning?"   
  
"Early," Lizzie sighs, "I think LeeAnne said that she wants to leave by six, she's picking up a girl after she drops me off."  
  
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with?" Alyson asks.  
  
"Yeah, the kids are going to be grumpy up that early and traveling there's no reason to make Max grumpy too."  
  
"I could leave Max here, I'm sure Carrie wouldn't mind baby-sitting, she owes me anyway."  
  
"No, it's all right, but thanks Ally."   
  
"Why are you so determined to make everything so hard on yourself?" Alyson's voice is half accusatory and half concerned.  
  
"I don't know what you mean." Lizzie responds, but in all reality she knows exactly what Alyson means, since she had come to Bright Academy she had gained an independence she never knew she had and now that she was going home she was afraid she was going to loose that.  
  
"Fine, I won't push it." Alyson sighs, it was a unwritten rule at Bright that if someone didn't want to talk about something you didn't push them. "I'll miss you though."  
  
Lizzie hugs her in the dark, "you promised to visit and maybe in the end you'll end up picking a community college close to mine."  
  
"Stay with Max!" The next day Michael is fighting Lizzie tooth and nail as she tries to get all three of her toddlers ready to go.  
  
"Sweetie you can't stay with Max, we have to go visit Grandma and Grandpa for awhile." Lizzie softly responds as she attempts to pull Michael's blue elephant shorts up.  
  
"No!" Michael responds firmly, "wanna stay with Max!"  
  
"Me too! Me too!" Hanna and Lily chorus from their beds where they aren't dressed yet and are sitting on the mattress they had put on the floor the night before in their matching pajamas.  
  
Lizzie sighs and wraps an expert arm around Michael, as he attempts to wriggle out of her reach, as she reaches across the bed for his white shirt with elephants across the front. "Sorry guys we gotta stay with Grandma and Grandpa for awhile." In an attempt to appease all three of her currently cranky two-year-olds Lizzie states, "Max and Ally are going to come stay with us for awhile when we go visit Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle Matt."  
  
"For real?" Hannah asks holding her hand out for emphasis.  
  
"Like totally!" Lizzie can't help but responds and laugh at her eldest daughter, pulling her into her lap. "Who taught you that?"  
  
"Tara." Hanna giggles, Tara was one of the other girls who lived at Bright.  
  
"Oh yeah?" For Hanna these were fighting words.  
  
"Yeah!" Hanna nearly screams placing her hands on her hips and mock glaring at her mother, but this quickly gives way to more giggles and Hanna throws her arms around Lizzie's neck kissing her.   
  
"Me too! Me too!" Lily calls from her position still on the floor.  
  
Leaning over the bed Lizzie juggles Hanna and pulls Lily up with them, "so are you guys ready to get dressed and get ready to go? Ally is on breakfast duty this morning so she and Max should be downstairs so you guys can say good-bye."  
  
"Ready!" All three declare.  
  
"You're all ready dressed silly," Lizzie points out to Michael. "But why don't you put your elephant by all of our bags to take with?" Once she has made sure that Michael has slipped off of the bed Lizzie turns to the girls, "who wants to get dressed first?"  
  
"Me!" Hanna exclaims and Lizzie isn't surprised. People once they met and got to know the triplets had a hard time believing that they got along so well and spent all of their time together, because they all looked and acted completely different. Hanna was by far the most outspoken and gave the most attitude and looked most like Lizzie with blonde hair that fell to her chin and brown eyes that expressed everything she was feeling. Lily was her complete opposite, Lily was shy and quiet generally spending her time with her favorite dolly in tow, and her looks she had to have gotten from the Craft side of her genes with long light red hair and blue eyes that masked all of her expressions. And Michael was in between his sisters he was generally happy but also tended to loose his temper in frustration, all in all in looks and personality Michael reminded her of Matt.  
  
"All right Hanna you first," Lizzie reaches behind her grabbing the khaki shorts with pink flowers embroidered on the sides and a pink short sleeved shirt. "Pink good for today Hanna-banana?"  
  
Hanna thinks for a minutes, "Lily too?"  
  
Lizzie nods holding up the pink cargo pants and white peasant top for Lily, "pink for Lily too."  
  
Hanna nods then, "kay den."  
  
Quickly Lizzie dresses Hanna and then helps her to her feet, "you make sure your bear is with Michael, we don't want to forget him."  
  
Hanna's eyes go wide, "forget Blueberry?"  
  
"Not if you put him where he's supposed to be." Lizzie assures Lily is placid as Lizzie dresses her, but since she all ready has her favorite doll in hand Lizzie spends a couple extra minutes cuddling with her daughter who loved to be cuddled.   
  
"Mommy look what I found!" Hanna's declaration brings Lizzie's attention away from Lily to Hanna who has pulled her hat out from the bottom of one of the duffel bags, along with the clothes that were on top of it. "I wear, you said."  
  
Lizzie sighs, she had promised Hanna that she could wear the hat that matched her outfit when they went to visit Grandma and Grandpa, Lizzie had to be proud her daughter could accessorize, "all right, you can wear it Hanna." Gently lifting Lily out of her arms she murmurs, "sorry sweetie, but I have to pick up the mess your sister made."  
  
"When breakfast?" Michael asks once Lizzie is kneeling beside him, repacking the clothes that were now strewn about the floor.  
  
"As soon as I get these put away," Lizzie responds and within minutes, an expert at quickly cleaning the messes her children make, Lizzie states, "now we can go have breakfast."  
  
"'n see Max." Michael reminds Lizzie afraid she would forget her promise.  
  
"And see Max."  
  
"An' Ally!" Lily adds.  
  
"Yes," Lizzie nods, "we are going to see Ally and Max."  
  
As promised an hour later Lizzie and the kids are ready to load into LeAnne's van and have said good-bye to everyone in the house who is awake with the exception of Alyson and Max who stand in front of Lizzie.  
  
"I'm going to miss you." Alyson is on the verge of tears when she hugs Lizzie.  
  
"I know! Me too." Lizzie responds, pushing back her tears as well, the triplets were all ready crying as they said good-bye to everyone there was no need to get them worked up at the sight of her tears. Pulling away the two had become best friends in two years stand still holding each other's shoulders, "you promise you'll visit as soon as you get a break here?"  
  
Alyson nods, "I promise, maybe Max and I will visit for his birthday."  
  
"That's be great." Lizzie nods and then turns to face Max she stoops down, "don't give your Mom a hard time, okay?"  
  
The blonde toddler thinks for a minute and then nods solemnly, "I be good." Lizzie hugs Max as Alyson finishes hugging her tearful kids Lily is clinging tightly to Alyson.  
  
"Baby we have to go." Lizzie gently urges Lily prying her fingers apart from around Alyson's neck.  
  
"No!" Lily rarely cried, but when she did she went all out and now would be one of those times.  
  
Lizzie scoops Lily easily into her arms and Lily cries into her shoulder and over Lily's shoulder Lizzie can see LeeAnne coming to her rescue with her 15-year-old daughter following closely. In two years Lizzie had gotten to know LeeAnne very well, she'd found out that LeeAnne had given birth to her daughter when she was 16 and was almost forced to give Kelly up for adoption at her parent's insistence when a distant great-aunt offered to take her in. When LeeAnne turned 23 her aunt had died leaving her a huge inheritance which LeeAnne had spent to open Bright Academy. LeeAnne comes to Lizzie's aid helping Hanna and Michael get bucked into their car seats as Lizzie gets situated in the last row with Lily's car seat but with a sobbing Lily still on her lap.  
  
The ride home was long for Lizzie, Lily eventually fell asleep letting Lizzie put her in car seat for the rest of the ride and Michael and Hanna alternated between babbling at each other in a language only the three of them understood. Lizzie was relieved by her children's overall calmness on the ride but all she could think about was that for the first time in two years she was going home and she was facing things she had left a long time ago. She was facing her family who has supported her when she got pregnant but she had never been home to see, they said they understood but Lizzie couldn't help but feel bad for never going home. She was facing Larry and Ethan who had been amazing friends for the months she was pregnant. But most of all she was facing Gordo and Miranda who had lied to her to protect her. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
The three bedrooms in the guesthouse had changed; Jo had redecorated the nursery and it no longer held baby bassinets but small toddler beds lining three walls. Gratefully Lizzie drops the bags in the nursery and adjusts Lily on her hip causing Lily to readjust her head on Lizzie and switch thumbs in her mouth.  
  
"Up too Mommy." Michael holds his hands out to Lizzie.  
  
Lizzie lifts Michael up as well and asks, "ready to go see Grandma and Grandpa?"  
  
"Lez go!" Hanna's independence shines through as she heads to the door?"  
  
"Yeah!" Michael cheers.  
  
"Are you ready?" Lizzie asks Lily whose fear of new people was generally a cause for concern, mostly because people took Lily's shyness for coldness or dislike. Lily doesn't responds to her mother's question, her face unchanging until she buries her face in Lizzie's neck.  
  
Making her way out of the small house Lizzie can see her parents making breakfast in the kitchen and quietly she opens the door, "Lizzie!" Jo stares at her, "you aren't supposed to be here for another couple of hours."  
  
"I know, we came in early." Lizzie responds.  
  
Overcoming the shock of Lizzie's early arrival Jo and Sam hug her around the kids in her arms, Lizzie sets Michael on the ground as Hanna launches into her typical introduction. "I'm Hanna Grace Gordon." Hanna touches her chest and then points to at her brother, "thaz my bro-bro Mikey and my sissy Lily."  
  
Jo and Sam hug Michael and Hanna while Lily remains nestled in her mother's arms watching her siblings silently, "and you must be Lily." Jo approaches Lily and Lizzie.  
  
Lizzie stares at Jo as Lizzie faces her, "are you going to say hi?"  
  
Lily takes her thumb out of her mouth and while it seems like she is going to say something she just rests her head on Lizzie's shoulder. "Lily's shy." Hanna declares, "Mikey and me not shy."  
  
"I see that," Jo laughs.  
  
"Mom what time is the graduation?" Lizzie asks, already growing nervous about agreeing to going to what would have been her graduation if she hadn't switched schools.  
  
"At one, it gives us enough time to have some brunch and get ready to go."  
  
"Are you sure Melina, Matt and Lanny will be all right watching the kids?" In almost three years Lizzie had never left the triplets with who hadn't lived in the Bright House.  
  
"They'll be fine, three on three." Sam assures.  
  
"Two on three, I'm taking Lily with me." Lizzie responds, "but Hanna and Michael will keep them on their toes as it is. Besides Lily will sit for the whole ceremony without a problem, won't you sweetie?"  
  
Lily nods solemnly and her thumb goes back in her mouth, "she's still so shy." Jo comments.  
  
Lizzie nods, "I talked to the councilor at school and she said that there isn't anything wrong with her shyness. She's just shy, Laurie, that's the councilor, thinks that she might be so shy because Michael and Hanna are so outspoken." Lizzie shrugs, "she's mommy's little girl, aren't you babe?"  
  
Lily nods a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth, "can I help yo with breakfast?" Lizzie asks.  
  
Jo nods and smiles, "that would be nice."  
  
"Alright Lils, you have to get down now." Lizzie sets Lily on her feet and she joins Michael and Hanna.  
  
"Do they want to watch cartoons or something?" Sam asks.  
  
Lizzie glances at the three of them and taking in that they are in their own world she shakes her head, "they're fine, they don't need anything but each other to keep entertained *and* cause trouble. They team up and get into trouble with anyone they think they can get away with it with, you should see when we get new people in the nursery at school they usually got the entire group into some kind of trouble."  
  
"I assume Hanna is the ringleader," Jo predicts.  
  
Lizzie shakes her head "nope. For as quiet she is Lily seems to be in the most control over what Hanna and Michael do, I think she's the one that comes up with their plots but Hanna and Michael carry the mouth."  
  
"Sounds like someone and her best friends when they were little." Sam laughs.  
  
"How are they?" Lizzie asks softly, "I guess I'll see them today."  
  
"Gordo is valedictorian and Miranda is singing the class song," Jo responds.  
  
"Good," Lizzie murmurs, "good for them."  
  
"Hey big sister." Matt appears in the kitchen and Lizzie is surprised by how tall he is gotten, standing a good foot over Lizzie now.  
  
Lizzie hugs Matt warmly, "oh my God, you're a giant."  
  
"Growth spirt," Matt shrugs. "Dad thinks I should play basketball next year."  
  
"So you and Melina are still dating then?" Lizzie asks.  
  
Sam groans, Jo laughs and Matt responds, "when she's not dumping me, yeah."  
  
Lizzie grins, "she always was a piece of work. She's still keeping you on your toes, huh?"  
  
"That would be an understatement," Sam snorts.  
  
"You better watch Hanna and Melina then when you baby-sit because they might get you into some trouble."  
  
"Lanny and I can handle them, I'm sure." Matt states.  
  
"I trust you," Lizzie responds, "and Lily is coming with me, so you'll just have Michael and Hanna."  
  
"All right, let's sit down to eat," Jo urges and walking to the table Lizzie notices they have three booster seats at on the chairs.  
  
"Do you guys want pancakes?" Sam asks Hanna, Michael and Lily who are huddles chattering in their own little language not far away.  
  
"Cake?" Michael asks hopefully.  
  
"Pancakes." Sam repeats.  
  
"Flippies." Lizzie states and the kids' eyes go wide.  
  
"Flippies?" Jo asks.  
  
Lizzie nods, as she helps the kids get seated around the table, "my friend Alyson's son Max always called them flippies for whatever reason and all the kids call them that now. But no matter what you call them these kids love pancakes."  
  
"I want Max." Michael states staring at the blueberry pancake on his plate.  
  
At the mention of Max, Lily's lip trembles and she whispers, "Ally." With her words Lily climbs out of booster seat and over her brother to get to Lizzie.  
  
"Lily you have to sit in your own seat if you are going to eat," Lily quietly reminds. "The rules don't change here."  
  
"No flippies." Lily shakes her head content to sit in Lizzie lap as everyone else talks and eats.  
  
Lizzie stares in the full-length mirror of the bathroom in the guest house wearing the most formal thing she had worn in awhile. It was just a simple light blue summer dress but things were always so casual at school that no one ever felt the need to get dressed up. There had always been so much going on between meal duty, daycare duty, school studies and the magazine telemarketing job that all of the girls had from the school there wasn't any desire to dress up either. But it felt nice to put on a nice dress, make-up and to take time to do her hair, she had missed out on all of the typical teenage things. Sometimes Lizzie forgot, herself, that she was still only a teenager she just figured that being the mother of three she never considered herself anything but a mother anymore.  
  
"Mommy pretty!" Hanna exclaims wandering into the bathroom.  
  
Lizzie scoops Hanna up, "thank you! How'd you get in here, I thought you were in the other house playing with Grandma and Grandpa?"  
  
"Uncle Matt." Hanna states as Matt appears in the doorway too.  
  
"Mom and Dad wanted me to let you know that they are about ready to leave."  
  
"Thanks." Lizzie responds, "I'll be right in, I just have to grab something to change Lily into."  
  
"I help!" Hanna declares.  
  
"You want to help me pick out something for your sister to wear?"  
  
"Yeah!" Hanna nods.  
  
"Okay, which one then?" Lizzie asks holding two dress options up for Hanna, who is sitting on the bed, to see.   
  
"Tha' one." Hanna points at the white dress with embroider hula dancers, palm trees and grass huts along the bottom and ties holding the dress up at the top.  
  
"All right then," Lizzie nods, grabbing the dress, the sandals with the pineapple on top and a white hat.  
  
"This too!" Hanna holds out her favorite pair of sunglasses.  
  
"Hanna you're sister hates sunglasses, you know she won't wear them. I'll be lucky if I can get her to keep the hat on." Lizzie responds.  
  
"This too!" Hanna declares.  
  
"We can try." Lizzie sighs, "now let's go I don't want to make Grandma and Grandpa late."  
  
"Glasses for Lily!" Hanna holds out the sunglasses to Lily once she has been dressed.  
  
Lily shakes her head, her light red hair flying back and forth, so Lizzie suggests, "Hanna why don't you show Grandma and Grandpa what you look like with your glasses on?"  
  
"Okay!" Hanna grins and puts on the red heart shaped sunglasses that say Sweet Girl across the lenses.  
  
"I have to get a picture." Jo announces and quickly, with the camera she is taking for the graduation, she snaps a picture of Hanna posing in her sunglasses.  
  
"We really should get going." Sam urges.  
  
"Matt you have everything under control?" Lizzie asks.  
  
"Everything is fine Lizzie, I promise." Matt states firmly, "have fun.  
  
"Right," Lizzie nods, she was nervous, both about leaving her children for the first time and about facing everyone from her past. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three  
  
One review response: Well in general for the all the reviews I thank you! But SimCecilia I'd advise you to read the prequel to this story, Protecting Her Always...it explains the father situation a lot better!  
  
With Lily settled on her lap Lizzie is appreciative of the nice weather as the ceremony begins, she doesn't want to draw anymore attention to herself necessary by having a fussy baby. The ceremony is started out with a speech by the principal and then moves on quickly to Miranda standing up and singing the class song, the words and seeing Miranda for the first time in so long brings tears to her eyes. Gordo's speech doesn't help either, by the time they both sit down and the names are about to be called Lizzie is all out bawling and Lily is looking at her mother concerned.  
  
"Wha' wrong Mama?" Lily asks.  
  
"Nothing's wrong baby," Lizzie responds.  
  
"Why you sad?"  
  
"I'm not sad," Lizzie whispers, "but it's quiet time now, see Mama's not crying anymore."  
  
Lily nods, satisfied with her mother's response and begins to entertain herself with the beads on Lizzie's bracelet. The ceremony actually goes a lot faster than Lizzie had been expecting and within minutes the students are in the crowd mixing with their family and friends. Lizzie doesn't spot anyone she recognizes until Lily calls, "Uncle Efan!"  
  
Lizzie twirls to see what her daughter is seeing and sure enough behind her is Ethan Craft jogging toward them, "hey Ethan, congratulations."  
  
"Uncle Efan! Uncle Efan!" Lily holds her hands out to Ethan and Ethan takes her into his arms and immediately tosses her into the air with Lily giggling.  
  
"How does Lily know Ethan?" Jo asks.  
  
And expression of what must be shame crosses Lizzie's face, "Ethan visited us all the time while I was at school. Everyone respected my privacy when I said I didn't want to see anyone, except Ethan. I'm sorry I never told you but for some reason Ethan was the only one I could see..."  
  
Jo nods in understand, "you don't have to apologize for your choices Lizzie."  
  
Lizzie lets out a sigh of relief, "I am sorry though."  
  
"Ethan who is this, is she your cousin or something?" Miranda walks up to Ethan and either doesn't recognize or notice Lizzie.  
  
"No this is Lily Gordon." Ethan responds.  
  
Miranda turns around and her eyes go wide when she spots Lizzie, "I didn't even see you there!" Miranda exclaims hugging Lizzie. "You look great!"  
  
"So do you." Lizzie responds, "and you sounded amazing."  
  
Miranda smiles, "thank you. I didn't even know you were coming."  
  
Lizzie nods, "I wanted it to be a surprise, so I told Mom, Dad and Ethan not to say anything." Lizzie responds, "so I guess surprise."  
  
Miranda hugs Lizzie again, "I am so happy you are here. How long are you here for?"  
  
"Just for the summer." Lizzie states, "I got a full ride scholarship to a college in Texas so I have to be there in August, but until then I'm here."  
  
"That's awesome!" Miranda exclaims, "we'll be able to hang out, like old times."  
  
Lizzie gives Miranda a smile but deep down she knows that it won't be like old times, and she knows that it's going to be weird hanging out friends who don't have kids. "Yeah."  
  
"So this is Lily?" Miranda asks, "she's adorable."  
  
Lily buries her head in Ethan's shoulder and Lizzie is about to inform Miranda about Lily's shyness when Gordo joins the group and spotting Lizzie he stops and stares. "I had no idea you were..."  
  
Lizzie shrugs, "surprise."  
  
"It's good to see you," awkwardness descends between the two.  
  
Lizzie nods, "yeah, that was a great speech."  
  
Silence falls over the group for a minute until Gordo states, "I'm sorry, I was just coming over to say that the limo is picking us up now to take us to dinner, Larry's out there waiting for us."  
  
The silence continues as everyone looks back and forth between each other not sure what do about Lizzie. Finally Miranda suggests, "Lizzie you should come with us."  
  
Lizzie shakes her head, "I can't, sorry. I have Lily with me."  
  
"We could take her home Lizzie." Sam offers.  
  
Lizzie glances at her daughter and then shakes her head, "no, she'd scream for most of the night."  
  
"You could bring her with." Gordo offers.  
  
Ethan and Lizzie both shake their head, "definitely not." Lizzie states, "taking a two-year-old to a restaurant much less a nice restaurant is to much work. But really, thanks for asking, we'll get to do other stuff I'm sure, I mean I'm here for the whole summer."  
  
Everyone smiles and nods and within minutes they have all head toward the location of their limo. "You could have gone with them Lizzie." Jo states, "we're grandparents, baby-sitting comes with the territory."  
  
Lizzie licks her lips and thinks for a minute, unsure if her parents can understand her reasoning behind not going, but as they walk she decides to attempt to explain it to them. "I don't think I can just jump back into being friends with them."  
  
"What do you mean?" Sam questions sliding into the driver's seat.  
  
"We're so different now, we have nothing in common, I mean I couldn't tell you what was in style right now or who was the hot movie star, or even the classes they will be talking about. I'm not part of their world anymore."  
  
"I'm sure you would adjust quickly," Sam states.  
  
"It's not just being out of the loop, they don't know what it's like to have kids. They don't understand that I can't just pick up and go out to dinner, Ethan gets it a little bit but...it's hard to explain."  
  
"I get it Lizzie," Jo states. "You don't have very much in common anymore."  
  
Lizzie nods, "exactly and I don't want to force the my life on them. Don't get me wrong," Lizzie states adjusting Lily in her car seat, "I love my kids, but I don't want to force them on my friends and I know them, and I know they are going to inconvenience themselves for me. I don't want them to do that."  
  
"No!" Lily's statement causes a break in the conversation.  
  
"No what?" Lizzie asks facing her daughter a determined expression on her face that Lizzie knows means Lily's about to throw an unusual fit.  
  
"No seat." Lily states.  
  
Lizzie sighs, she should have seen this coming Lily hated sitting in the car seat for long periods of time, "just until we go home."  
  
Lily shakes her head, "no."  
  
Jo turns around in the front seat, "hey Lily I have a deal to make with you." Lily stares at her grandmother and Lizzie can tell that her daughter had forgotten that almost complete strangers were in the front seat. "If you sit in your car seat like a good girl we can have some ice cream when we get home."  
  
Lily looks towards her mother and Lizzie nods, "you can have some ice cream when you get home if you want."  
  
Lily turns her attention back to Jo and then nods solemnly, "okay, ice cream," she nods again, "okay."  
  
Lizzie stares at her parents, Jo had hadn't that situation easily while Lizzie had been expecting a complete blow-out from her daughter her mother had handled it easily. Maybe being home wouldn't be so bad, maybe Jo could teach Lizzie something's that she didn't know she didn't know. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Hey," Ally's voice is just the thing an exhausted Lizzie needs to hear that night after putting the kids to bed, her best friend's logic and reassurances always managed to make Lizzie more sane

"Ally, oh my God, it feels like it's been forever since I've seen you." Lizzie sighs dropping onto the living room couch.

"The first day that rough huh?" Ally asks.

"The worst," Lizzie responds. "Michael misses Max. Hannah wants LeeAnn's bedtime story, which you think I'd be able to recreate, I've only heard it nearly everyday for the last year and a half but I can't do it the right way. And Lily is being Lily."

"She's not warming up?" Ally asks.

"No, well sort of. She coping with my mother, but I think that's because she gave her ice cream and my Dad too. But Matt terrifies her, I think he's just too loud and busy all the time."

"Just being a typical teenage boy." Ally supplies. "So did you see your friends then?"

"Yeah."

"That sounds enthusiastic." Ally comments.

"It was good to see them again. " Lizzie states, "but none of us are the same people. I have kids and I have to think about, they get to just worry about themselves, and that's the way it should be. I don't want them to worry about me."

"Lizzie," Lizzie can see Ally shaking her head in her mind. "You have to let..."

"Other people help," Lizzie fills in, Ally had given her this lecture enough to repeat it back to her. "This coming from the girl is doing everything on her own."

"My situation is different," Ally responds. "If your friends want to help then let them help."

"They haven't offered, I'm not saying that won't but..." Lizzie sighs, "it's just not my world anymore. My friends, their world is parties and dates mine consists of sippy cups and diapers."

"I get that." Ally assures.

"Als I miss you," Lizzie sighs. "How's Max?"

"Bored, no one here to play with." Ally returns, "but there's a new girl moving in next week, LeeAnn says she's expecting twins."

Lizzie smiles to herself, "I'll have to come back and meet her, any idea if she's keeping the babies or not?"

"Not a clue," Ally responds.

Lizzie glances at her watch, "I should get going, Max'll be up in a couple hours wanting to sleep with you and so will Lily. I'll call you sometime later this week."

"Okay, and Lizzie?"

"Yeah?"

"Try to have a good vacation."

"Bye Ally."

"Bye Liz."

As soon as Lizzie replaces the cordless phone in the charger the phone rings, on instinct Lizzie picks up the phone, "McGuire residence."

"Lizzie?"

"Miranda?" Lizzie is surprised to hear her voice. "I thought you guys were going out?"

"We did, well we are out..." Miranda is quiet for a second, "I know you said you couldn't come out earlier, but we thought maybe once the kids are in bed you could come out. We could pick you up, we've got the limo and everything."

"Is that Miranda?" Jo asks coming into the kitchen. Lizzie nods and Jo offers, "why don't you go out with them? We can keep an ear open for the kids..."

With Ally's words ringing through her ear Lizzie considers it and then finally settles, "okay Miranda, I'll be ready in about..." Suddenly through the baby monitor Lizzie has clipped to her jean pocket the sound of screaming can be heard.

"I'll get whoever it is," Jo suggests, "you go, have fun."

Lizzie shakes her head quickly, "Miranda, I can't I'm sorry, Lily is up. I'll call you tomorrow." Without another word Lizzie hangs up the phone, "thanks for offering Mom, but I've got it. Lily has night terrors, it's best if I go get her." Without another word Lizzie leaves the kitchen and strides quickly to the guest room.

Opening the nursery door the light flooding in front the hall quiets Lily's screams, "Mama," Lily holds her hands out to Lizzie. Gently lifting her daughter out of her crib Lizzie checks on Hannah and Michael, their sister's screams were so frequent that they were rarely disturbed by them.

"Hi baby," Lizzie gently rubs Lily's back, "did you have a nightmare?" Settling into the nursery rocking chair Lizzie cuddles Lily to her, rocking gently back and forth until both mother and daughter are asleep.

"Lizzie, Lizzie, wake up." Matt is standing in front of Lizzie the next morning, staring down at her.

Lizzie groans, the chair had been a far from comfortable place to sleep, "what's going on Matt?"

"Miranda called, she invited you and the kids to go to lunch with everyone," Matt responds.

"Where are the kids?" Lizzie asks quickly.

"Mom came and got them an hour ago, she's feeding them now, she figured you could use some extra sleep," Matt responds.

Extra sleep was a foreign idea to Lizzie, but she did appreciate it, "Miranda really wants to go to lunch with all of us?"

Matt nods, "she said do Lizzie, Lily, Hannah and Michael want to go to lunch with all of us? All names were included."

"Thanks Matt, I'm going to get a shower and then I'll be in, alright?"

Matt nods, "sure."

The warm shower gave Lizzie time to think, and giving Ally's words some thought Lizzie made the decision that for the summer at least she would let people help her out. If her friends invited her to go out and her parents or Matt offered to baby-sit then she was going to take them up on that, she deserved a little bit of fun. In the fall she would be enrolling in an university and would be living on alone with the kids so she may as well take advantage of having help while she had it.


End file.
